Homeschool With Tracey

I only used Tapestry of Grace for a couple of months, and the problem I had was that it wasn’t an “open and go” curriculum. There are many teacher’s notes to read each week. There were just too many choices to make, too, at least for me. It is not a “one teacher’s manual” curriculum. You have many resources that you have to organize. It just got too confusing for me.However, Tapestry of Grace has gotten some great reviews and has a wonderful reputation.  I have read that it is especially good for the high school years.You can definitely combine with this curriculum.  Some people LOVE the choices that Tapestry of Grace offers.

The following review is from The Homeschool Library:

Name of curriculum: Tapestry of Grace

Common abbreviation: TOG

Ages this curriculum is designed to be used with: All (specificially designed to teach all ages together).

Educational Philosophy: Classical

Worldview: Protestant

Historical period (if relevant): Year 1 covers creation to Christ, year 2 up to 1800, year 3 the 1800s, year 4 modern history

Geographical area (if relevant): year 3 and 4 are primarily US history based but world history is tied in, it is not specifically a US history course

Website: http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/

Review: TOG is a history based, chronological study. It includes plans for history, geography, government, church history, art history, and literature. Weekly plans are given using a selected book list but you can substitute what you have on hand or can find in your library fairly easily. It is divided into 4 learning levels - upper and lower elementary (say grades 4-6 and 1-3), dialectic (junior high), and rhetoric (high school). You can use the same guide with all 4 levels at once, and use it over and over with the same student - if you start with TOG and stay with it, your student goes through each time period 4 times, each time at greater depth. TOG is discussion based, but provides opportunities for hands on activities and a substantial writing component.

A quote from the website:

Quote:

Strengths: TOG is designed to teach children of all ages so it is easy to group your family on the same topic, topic based so you can substitute materials of your choosing if the recommended book is not in your library, weekly scheduling allows the course to fit your lifestyle, encourages independent learners, deep and rich course, you need to be able to pick and choose among the options because there is no way you can do it all. Very academically rigorous. Includes all learning styles. Lends itself (and encourages) co-ops.

Weaknesses: Can be expensive if you do not have a good library available to you, requires parental prep - this is not an open and go type curriculum, the method can be confusing for the first timer. Time consuming. Can be overload of reading for some, not enough for others.

Comments: We are in year 4, completing our round through TOG and we’ve loved it. We switched to TOG from SL so I didn’t find the method too confusing and prefered the weekly scheduling and ability to choose my own books. I think the writing program is excellent, and appreciated having the fine arts and geography threads woven in. The only thing I wasn’t totally sold on was the literature piece. TOG isn’t and doesn’t purport to be a complete curriculum - you’ll need to add phonics and grammar, math, science and foreign language.

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